


this world will remember us

by Indigo_Penstrokes



Category: Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bonnie & Clyde, F/F, Jatherine are lesbians because i said so, more tags to add later
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-08
Updated: 2019-04-08
Packaged: 2020-01-06 16:45:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,289
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18392345
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Indigo_Penstrokes/pseuds/Indigo_Penstrokes
Summary: Jacqueline Kelly, better known as Jack, has been stealing things for as long as she could remember. Never having much paired with a desire to live like Billy the Kid or Jesse James and a best friend who lived for excitement made for quite the hellraiser growing up. Lucky for her, she never outgrew it, not so lucky for the local law enforcement.Katherine Plumber ran away when she was seventeen when she didn't want to be a part of her father's corrupt money. She wanted to take him down. She wanted to right the wrongs of the world with her words. She wanted to he the next Nellie Bly.  But now she’s waitressing when she’s not working as a runner for the local paper, still trying to work her way to the top





	this world will remember us

"God damn it, damn it damn it.” Katherine kicked the tire of her now broken down car a few times for good measure. Smoke floated up from the open hood. She really didn't need to be stuck on the outskirts of town when her apartment was only a few miles away, “You couldn't have lasted a few more miles?” 

“Maybe she just needs some encouragement,” A voice said from behind her, startling her.

“Jesus, don't you know not to sneak up on a girl when she's having car trouble?” Katherine tried to calm her racing heart as she looked for the owner of the voice. 

“Guess I’m a little rusty when it comes to beautiful girls then.” A woman no older than Kath herself stepped out of the shadows and Katherine was stunned speechless. “I’m Jacqueline Kelly, but you can call me Jack.” She held out her hand.

Jack was possibly the most beautiful woman Katherine had ever laid eyes on. Her hair was cut short, and looked like it had been slicked back at one point, but was now falling into her face. She was also wearing trousers and a dirtied collared shirt with a tie hanging loose around her neck. The look was completed by the cocky smile on her face and the battered hat held in her hands. 

“Ka-Katherine Plumber,” She managed to stutter out through her tied tongue and shake Jackie's hand.

“Ain't you sure?” Jack asked, a smirk pulling at her split lip.

“Perfectly,” She tried to recover from her blunder, “What're you doing out here at this time of night anyway?” 

“Car broke down a couple of miles up the road as I was trying to leave town. But I'm glad it did if it meant meeting you.” Jack smiled as she leaned on the driver side door.

“I never heard of anyone trying to leave here, the town sucks you in and never lets you leave.” Katherine ignored Jack's flirting even though her cheeks blushed bright crimson.

“I got plans, gonna make it all the way to the front page of every newspaper across the country.” Jack smirked as she pulled a cigarette from her pocket. 

“That's a dream, not a plan. We all have dreams.” 

“Nah, it's a plan. I pull a few jobs a year and then I'm set to never set foot in this dust bucket of a town ever again all while making the headlines.” She lit the cigarette and took a long draw. 

“A few jobs a year, like what?” 

“You know, like Billy the Kid or Jesse James.” Jack mimicked shooting a pistol with her hands, “And just like them every kid from New York to Dallas will be talking about Jack Kelly and how she's making history.” 

“You can't mean what I think you mean.” Kath shook her head in disbelief, Jack couldn't possibly _want_ to be a criminal.

“I most certainly do Kathy, this world is going to remember me.” Jack spread her hands wide, as if the desert around them was that world.

“Oh yeah sure, and I’m going to be a world class reporter.” Sarcasm dripped from every word, some part of her knew that she was never going to be taken as a serious reporter. She didn't have the training and the local papers hated her because she was a woman.

Jack stubbed the cigarette out with her foot before taking Kath’s hands, “But I can see it now, Katherine Plumber gets one of a kind front page interview with renowned outlaw Jack Kelly. Article complete with a big picture.” 

Katherine just shook her head and laughed as Jack spun her around. “You'll be the best of the best Miss Plumber, no question about it. The world will be at your feet.”

“If I wanted the world at my feet I wouldn't have run away.” It was light, a throwaway response, but it pulled at something in Katherine. She wanted to know more about Jack and what made the girl tick, but something about it didn't sit well with her. She had said something wrong, but what was it.

Jack dropped her hands like she'd been burned. The silence stretched out uncomfortably around them in the growing dark of the desert, the only sound was the wind and the soft hiss of the broken model T. 

“Are you still gonna help out or?” Kath tried to lighten the mood a little bit, she didn't want to lose Jack because how often did an attractive woman with attractive plans cross her path? Not often enough was the answer.

“Sure thing sugar, what seems to be the problem?” Jack walked around the car, throwing her hat onto the opened hood, back to her seemingly nonchalant self.

“It was going, and then it started smoking and stopped going.” Katherine tried to watch over Jack's shoulder as she tinkered with something on the engine. 

“It looks like your radiator ran out of-” But she was cut off by the wail of police sirens off in the distance. “Shit.” 

Jack dove behind the model T, snagging her hat on the way down. She tried to make herself as small as possible, tucking her knees to her chest. She looked like a frightened rabbit, her chest rising and falling rapidly and her eyes darting back and forth up the road. After too long the police car whizzed by, not even stopping to see why there was a car broken down on the shoulder. Katherine watched as the blue and red flashing faded into the distance, a cloud of dust in its wake.

“Well?” She asked when Jack stood back up and dusted herself off, her hands shaking slightly.

“The cops and I ain't on the best of terms at the moment.” She ran a hand through her hair, messing it up even further. 

“Why?”

“They probably want to arrest me again.”

“Again.” Her voice made it clear she wanted an explanation. 

“Might've escaped the first time.” Jack laughed nervously, but she looked proud of herself.

“So there’s no broken down car a few miles down the road?” Katherine raised an eyebrow skeptically.

“Afraid not, and you need water for your radiator.” 

“There's a gallon in the trunk, Hannah always keeps one in there for emergencies.” She wanted to keep pressing Jack for answers, but she held back as the taller girl went to grab the water.

It only took a few more minutes for Jack to get the car up and running again, the engine purring loudly in the desert quite. Everything seemed suspended in a fragile state of calm, as if one spoken word would break it all. The moon had started to shine, washing them booth in a pale light that begged for something to happen. 

“Thanks Jack.” Kath leaned out the window and pressed a small kiss you Jack's cheek. “You're a darling.” 

“If you like me so much, maybe you could let me stay the night with you. I got to visit someone in the morning.” Jack rested her forearms on the still open window, the night breeze ruffling her hair. 

“You want me to hide you from the cops, don't play me for stupid Jack Kelly.” Kath was smiling despite herself.

“I would never.” She put a hand over her heart in mock offense and hurt. “You wound me Miss Plumber.” 

“Just get in and cut the theatrics.” Kath just rolled her eyes as Jack kissed her on the cheek before rounding the front of the car and getting in. 

They sped off down the old dusty road, the future laid out in front of them and the stars above them. When they were done the world wouldn't know what hit it.

**Author's Note:**

> i live off of comments and kudos so let me know what you guys thought. also come yell at me on tumblr @ad-astra-de-luna


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